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CASE NUMBER: PR-2024-021145; GF-2024-043942 ZONING CHANGE REVIEW SHEET HLC DATES: May 1, 2024; September 4, 2024; November 6, 2024 PC DATE: CC Date: APPLICANT: Drenner Group (owner-opposed) HISTORIC NAME: Running Rope Ranch WATERSHED: Shoal Creek ADDRESS OF PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE: 7304 Knox Lane ZONING CHANGE: SF-3 to SF-3-H COUNCIL DISTRICT: 10 STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Do not recommend historic zoning (SF-3-H) for the main house if the applicant is able to relocate two historic-age outbuildings (cabin and tack barn) on-site and to protect the existing historic landscape features, including the spring-fed pool and Native American midden sites. Release the relocation permits upon receipt of a City of Austin Documentation Package for all structures and a plan for archaeological monitoring of the site as required by the Texas Historical Commission. HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION ACTION: May 1, 2024 – Postpone the public hearing. September 4, 2024 – initiate historic zoning. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION: CITY COUNCIL ACTION: CASE MANAGER: Kalan Contreras, 512-974-2727 NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS: Austin Independent School District, Austin Lost and Found Pets, Austin Neighborhoods Council, Friends of Austin Neighborhoods, NW Austin Neighbors, Neighborhood Empowerment Foundation, Northwest Austin Civic Association, SELTexas, Sierra Club, Austin Regional Group, TNR BCP - Travis County Natural Resources DEPARTMENT COMMENTS: As the property is listed as a state archaeological site, collaboration with the Texas Historical Commission may be required. BASIS FOR RECOMMENDATION: § 25-2-352(3)(c)(i) Architecture. The property embodies the distinguishing characteristics of a recognized architectural style, type, or method of construction; exemplifies technological innovation in design or construction; displays high artistic value in representing ethnic or folk art, architecture, or construction; represents a rare example of an architectural style in the city; serves as an outstanding example of the work of an architect, builder, or artisan who significantly contributed to the development of the city, state, or nation; possesses cultural, historical, or architectural value as a particularly fine or unique example of a utilitarian or vernacular structure; or represents an architectural curiosity or one-of-a-kind building. Unfortunately, ‘80s and ‘90s-era additions and modifications have proven to reduce the building’s integrity, and—with this new information—staff no longer believes the main house retains sufficient integrity to convey its true historic-era appearance. However, two outbuildings on-site (not referenced in PR-2024-021145) do retain sufficient integrity: a tack barn dating to the Running Rope Ranch and a much older cedar cabin that appears to have been moved to its current location, potentially from elsewhere on the site. The main building referenced in PR-2024-021145 is an eclectic house with early Ranch and vernacular stylistic influences. Ranch and vernacular stylistic influences are applied to what appears to be an early-twentieth-century vernacular farmhouse. It is one and one-half stories in height, with an L-shaped plan and intersecting partial-width porches with turned posts. Its compound roofline features deep eaves with applied cedar shakes at gable ends. Fenestration includes 4:4 and 8:8 wood windows of varying dimensions. A one-and-one-half story addition has been constructed in place of what appears to have been an original wing of the house, opposite a monolithic stone chimney. The oldest structure on the site, a small log cabin, has been added onto over the years but still retains its original form beneath the Knox-era accretions of a shed and lean-to. Its hewn-log walls are of cedar and, though no foundation is present, flags line the stoop and interior. The building likely dates from the late 19th century, when the original inhabitants of the area were working the land as cedar choppers, though there is no evidence of its original location. The tack barn was constructed during the operation of the Running Rope Ranch and was originally located at the head of a riding trail. Its vertical cedar siding is intact, and articulated projections for hanging saddles and tack are still extant. The building retains its character-defining features as part of a working stable. § 25-2-352(3)(c)(ii) Historical Associations. The property has long-standing significant associations with persons, groups, institutions, businesses, or events of historical importance that contributed significantly to the history of the city, state, or nation or represents a significant portrayal of the cultural practices or the way of life of a definable group of people in a historic time. The property is associated with the Knox family and Running Rope Ranch. The farmstead may have an earlier association with the Spicewood Springs settlement served by Esperanza School. The main house at Knox Lane and Running Rope Lane, known as 7304 or 7306 Knox, was constructed in the early twentieth century—as early as 1900 according to an interview with long-time owner Margaret Knox1—and augmented heavily by the Knox family in the 1940s and later. Located less than a mile from the original site of the Esperanza School,2 now located at Zilker Park, the farmstead was part of the rural Spicewood Springs community.3 The land was purchased in the 1930s by Mary Lou and Warren Penn Knox, according to an oral history given to writer Carol Jones for the Northwest Austin Civic Association by their grandchildren,4 though archival records of the Knox occupancy there do not extend to before the 1940s. W. P. Knox, the district commissioner for the Boy Scouts of America, turned the property into a day camp for boys called Running Rope Ranch. Knox was a Vermont native who moved to Austin after World War I. After serving as an Army captain in World War II, he became involved in Central Texas outdoor youth activities, including work as the official operator of the Arrowhead Ranch Camp in Kerrville, before opening Running Rope Ranch around 1947. The ranch offered riding lessons, hiking and survival training, and swimming in the spring-fed pool. The land boasted seven natural springs, later identified by Margaret Thomas Knox as a habitat of the threatened Jollyville Plateau salamander.5 From 1959 to 1966, legendary Austin horsewoman Ginger Pool taught at the ranch.6 The Knox family operated the day camp for ten years. W. P. Knox, noted as “larger than life” in posthumous publications, had eclectic interests. He entertained his pupils by showcasing rope tricks he learned as a rodeo performer after WWI. He was a life member of the Marshall Ford Game Protective Association, volunteered on the Council of the Texas Confederate Home for Men, and taught Sunday school at University United Methodist Church. In later years, James and Margaret Thomas Knox and their children moved to the property. Margaret Knox, Captain W. P. Knox’s daughter-in-law, was the daughter of famed Austin architect Roy L. Thomas. She married aviator and P.O.W. James Knox in 1944. After he retired from the military, the couple moved back to his family home on the ranch in 1966. There, Margaret Knox, described as a “contemporary Mother Goose”7 by author Robyn Turner, worked as a seamstress, a beekeeper, a children’s book author, and a wildlife rehabilitator until her death in 2022. § 25-2-352(3)(c)(iii) Archaeology. The property has, or is expected to yield, significant data concerning the human history or prehistory of the region. The building is listed as a Texas archaeological site (41TV156). Preliminary research by the University of Texas indicates a high probability of significant archaeological data, including evidence of middens and springs purported to be used by Native American residents of the land. The Knox property was identified as a Texas state archaeological site in 1969,8 though it appears only a cursory survey of two middens was completed at that time. Notes from the development of the adjacent Walter Carrington subdivision suggest that the listing of the property was done to foster goodwill with the Northwest Hills residents at the time considering the enaction of the Texas Antiquities Code. § 25-2-352(3)(c)(iv) Community Value. The property has a unique location, physical characteristic, or significant feature 1 Turner, Robyn. “Margaret Knox.” In Austin Originals: Chats with Colorful Characters, 71-74. Paramount Publishing Company, 1982. 2 “1866 Esperanza School at Spicewood Springs.” Travis County Historical Commission Blog, 2017. https://traviscountyhistorical.blogspot.com/2017/02/1866-esperanza-school-and-spicewood_3.html 3 Correspondence with Vice-Chair Richard Denney, Travis County Historical Commission 4 Carol Jones for NWACA News, May 2022: https://nwaca.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022-05-May-NWACA-Newsletter.pdf 5 “Jollyville Salamander.” Austintexas.gov: https://www.austintexas.gov/department/jollyville-salamander 6 “Ginger Poole.” The Chronicle of the Horse, 2006: https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/obituaries-021006?page=2 7 Turner, 1982. 8 “Universal Data Form: 41TV156.” University of Texas at Austin, 1969. Courtesy of Travis County Historical Commission. that contributes to the character, image, or cultural identity of the city, a neighborhood, or a particular group. The property may possess a unique location, physical characteristic, or significant feature that contributes to the character, image, or cultural identity of the city, the neighborhood, or a particular demographic group, as it has been noted in several Northwest Austin Civic Association publications and by neighbors as a community fixture for many years during its occupancy by the Knox family. It also may be of value as one of the last remaining indicators of the original Spicewood community served by the Esperanza School; the oldest building on the site—a log cabin like those utilized by cedar choppers and early ranchers—appears to have been moved to its current location, but likely came from somewhere nearby with the same or similar historic context. § 25-2-352(3)(c)(v) Landscape Feature. The property is a significant natural or designed landscape or landscape feature with artistic, aesthetic, cultural, or historical value to the city. While some of the original ranch has been developed and some outbuildings removed, natural springs and a spring-fed swimming pool remain. These landscape elements show the progression of the site and its occupants’ needs: natural springs were likely used by the site’s original Native American residents, then by the occupants of the farmstead, then converted to a swimming pool for the children of Running Rope Ranch. PARCEL NO.: 0140030611 LEGAL DESCRIPTION: ABS 217 SUR 15 DAVIS G W ACR 5.772 ESTIMATED ANNUAL TAX EXEMPTION (non-homestead, not capped): AISD $1,751.82 COA $1,817.24 TC $1,241.88 TC Health $410.46 Total $5,221.40 APPRAISED VALUE: Land: $1,137,500; Improvement: $246,522; Total: $1,384,022 PRESENT USE: vacant residential DATE BUILT/PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANCE: ca. 1907; 1907-1974 INTEGRITY/ALTERATIONS: Unfortunately, ‘80s and ‘90s-era additions and modifications have proven to reduce the main building’s integrity, and—with this new information—staff no longer believes the main house retains sufficient integrity to convey its true historic-era appearance. However, two outbuildings on-site (not referenced in PR-2024-021145) do retain sufficient integrity: a tack barn dating to the Running Rope Ranch and a much older cedar cabin that appears to have been moved to its current location, potentially from elsewhere on the site. The historic landscape features also appear to retain integrity. PRESENT OWNERS: Chase Equities, Inc. (Jimmy Nassour) ORIGINAL OWNER(S): G. W. Davis OTHER HISTORICAL DESIGNATIONS: Property evaluated as state archaeological site #41TV156 LOCATION MAP PROPERTY INFORMATION Photos Demolition permit application, 2022 Google Street View, 2022 Annotated 1940 aerial photo, courtesy of Commissioner Rich Denney, noting property entrance and that the buildings onsite predate the Hart Ranch. 1958 aerial photo showing additions to main house and outbuildings 1965 aerial photo showing main house, outbuildings, and riding arenas 1976 aerial photo showing neighborhood development on farmstead Footprint progression from 1940, 1965, 1977, 1984, and 1997 aerial photographs Occupancy History City Directory Research, October 2022 Address not listed in City directories. Biographical Information Knox-Rogan. The Statesman (1916-1921); 07 Mar 1920: A2. BOY LEADERSHIP COURSE AT ST. EDWARD'S; KEEN INTEREST IS MANIFEST. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); 15 Aug 1924: 4. Circus Scheduled Friday. The Austin American (1914-1973); 03 Sep 1933: A2. 3 Scout Leaders To Attend Course. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); 19 Apr 1939: 3. Knox, Thomas Rites to Be Solemnized Here Saturday. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex. [Austin, Tex]. 18 June 1943: 6. Class Views Pack Exhibit. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); 11 Nov 1947: 11 Display Ad 14 -- No Title. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); May 1949: 5. Reuben's HALF ACRE. DAVE SHANKS Farm-Ranch Editor.  The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); Austin, Tex. [Austin, Tex]. 22 May 1952: B3. Young Pioneers Hit the Trail West. Grover, Dan.  The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); July 1953: A13. Campers Plan Sports, Exhibits To End First Summer Session. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); 30 June 1955: A17. Starlight Revue: Rope Tricks Next Zilker Fare. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); 27 June 1962: 10. WESTERN FLING DING AT RANCH. The Austin American (1914-1973); 06 May 1962: D17.  Universal Data Form: 41TV156. University of Texas at Austin, 1969. Courtesy of Travis County Historical Commission. VOLUNTEERS. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); 28 May 1965: 8. Capt. Knox, Longtime Scouter, Dies. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); 27 July 1971: 17. Legal Notice 1 -- No Title. The Austin Statesman (1921-1973); 20 Aug 1971: 66. JIM SHAHIN American-Statesman Staff.  The Austin American Statesman (1973-1980), Evening ed.; 23 Oct 1980: K1.  Turner, Robyn. “Margaret Knox.” In Austin Originals: Chats with Colorful Characters, pp.71-74. Paramount Publishing Company, 1982. Courtesy of Commissioner Rich Denney. 2017 interview by Luci Thompson for NWACA News: https://issuu.com/peel_inc/docs/1704nac NWACA News, January 2021: https://nwaca.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2021-01-January-NWACA-Newsletter.pdf Carol Jones for NWACA News, May 2022: https://nwaca.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/2022-05-May-NWACA- Newsletter.pdf  Obituary for Margaret Knox. Dignitymemorial.com Commissioner Rich Denney for NWACA News, 2024: https://nwaca.org/newsletter/ Permits  Tap records, 1978-1990